Abstract:
This was a study of Bessie Head’s literary commitment. The objective of
the study was to interrogate the extent to which the writer is committed
as a woman and as a Third World person based on the text Maru. The
study adopted the analytical research design. The data collected through
content analysis was coded according to thematic concerns, stylistic
choices, the mode of characterization and vision of the author. The
postcolonial theory was employed in the reading analysis and
interpretation of the selected text. The findings reveal that as a woman,
Bessie Head is committed to reconstructing a positive image for her
female characters by challenging stereotypical perception of women
through dismantling of patriarchal structures that previously relegated
women to subordinate roles. This is seen in the presentation of the female
characters as strong willed, determined, assertive, independent and
enterprising. In delineating the experiences of women as women, she
explores their most personal convictions thereby presenting their
perception of issues as women. As a Third World writer, Head is
committed to social justice, exposition of suffering and dehumanization
resulting from ethnic prejudice and superstition. She voices for the
voiceless by advocating gender equity as a basis for development. On the
political arena, she examines issues that ail African politics such as selfish
and greedy leadership, oppression and discrimination on basis of race.
The text particularly dwells on the racial prejudices and class difference
in the society.
